V.A. - The Journey Is Long: The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project 2012

Jeffrey Lee Pierce died aged 37 in 1996, a textbook rock casualty to excessive drink and drugs. At least the music he left behind burns: his albums with The Gun Club and their scorched-earth white-boy blues broke open territory that Pixies and The White Stripes (among others) would go on to explore, and solo album Wildweed was disarmingly romantic. He’s still being celebrated – for the art and not the self-destruction, one hopes. Whether he’d have forged an enduring career like that of peer Nick Cave is debatable, but the best Gun Club fusillades – single Fire of Love, album The Las Vegas Story – delivered much and promised more.
Pierce, born in LA but something of an Anglophile, carved a persona from goth, glam and roots to roar and charm. As Blondie’s US fan club president, he was as influenced by pop and punk as by Robert Johnson or The Doors, so his songs could be melodic, anarchic, or both. This second in a planned trilogy of not-exactly-tribute albums demonstrates as much (2009’s We Are Only Riders led the way). What it is not is a bunch of covers (though there are a couple of those.) Later-years collaborator Cypress Grove found a batch of Jeffrey’s cassette demos and works-in-progress in his loft, and a group of former colleagues, friends and admirers have effectively coloured these sketches in, bringing them to strange fruition. (Proceeds go to charity.)
The credits have Pierce playing guitar on some, nothing on others, but his stamp is loud and clear on the gutsy flair of From Death to Texas (performed by Steve Wynn) or the keening tug of The Breaking Hands (which is interpreted here twice, first by Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell and then by the dream pairing of Nick Cave and Deborah Harry, who are joined by Mick Harvey and Chris Stein). Cave also sings City in Pain, this album’s opener, all restrained aggression and controlled desire. Harvey depicts an eerie-lovely St. Mark’s Place, while Barry Adamson, Lydia Lunch and The Jim Jones Revue are also committed believers, fanning the still-smouldering ashes of a legend that yet grows.

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Inara George - Accidental Experimental 2009

When she isn't exploring the intersection between jazz, tropicalia, and indie pop with the Bird and the Bee, vocalistInara George enjoys a solo career as a talented singer/songwriter. At a young age, she was surrounded by the music of her father (Little Feat's Lowell George) and his illustrious peers -- Jackson Browne, Terry Allen, and Van Dyke Parks -- yet George never intended to follow in her late father's footsteps. Rather, theater was her forte, and George's younger years were spent performing Shakespeare in her native Topanga Canyon, a community in the Santa Monica mountains. She later relocated to Boston to study acting in the classical theater tradition.

While visiting home one summer, George and several high-school friends launched a band named Lode. To their surprise, the bandmates landed a deal with Geffen Records and released an EP, 1996's Legs & Arms. Before the decade's end, George joined Bryon Atkinson to form Merrick, an indie rock duo that released two albums before disbanding in 2002. Three years later, George struck out on her own by issuing her solo debut on Everloving Records. All Rise was produced by Michael Andrews (Donnie Darko, Freaks and Geeks) and feauterd musical contributions from Greg Kurstin, with whom George shared a mutual appreciation for old jazz standards and 1960s tropicalia tunes. The two formed the Bird and the Bee and released a self-titled album in 2006, followed by several EPs. While preparing for the duo's second full-length release, George also found time to return to her own project, teaming up with veteran producer (and family friend) Van Dyke Parks for 2008's An Invitation. AMG

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Eddie Roberts & The Fire Eaters - Burn! 2011

2011 album from the British Jazz musician & New Mastersounds guitarist Eddie Roberts. Eddie joined forces with The Sweet Vandals' rhythm section, adding Chip Wickham's (Nightmares On Wax, Rae & Christian, The Pharcyde) world-class flute and Taz Modi's funktastic organ from Leeds/UK. The album includs a good number of Eddie Roberts originals as well as their versions of classic acid jazz & soul tunes like "I Believe In Miracles", the "Lope Song" or "Latona". Listen for yourself and travel way back to the times when jazz had soul and there was freedom in the rhythm.

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Dennis Gonzalez - Hymn For The Perfect Heart Of A Pearl 1991

This year's Dennis Gonzalez group goes by the moniker "Band of Sorcerers," and may be a little lighter on AACM/avant-jazz name-power, but it can't stop Hymn for the Perfect Heart of a Pearl from being a really strong disc. The rhythm section strongly backs Carlos Ward's tart opening alto solo to the first movement of the six-part title suite. Bassist Paul Rogers is very busy, but it's a good busy that largely avoids the too-frenetic (even when he's strumming behind Tim Green's stately tenor sax) and his strong solo provides a nice re-entry to the melody colored by spare horn commentaries. Rogers' busy-ness should be a problem on "Astonishing Emptiness," but it doesn't get in the way of the deep spirit mojo at work, with the lovely three-horn harmonies built around Green's simple vibrato spine, and drummer Louis Moholo brushes and rattles around like he does to excellent effect most of the time. "Hymn for Louis Moholo" has a decided South African tinge -- hardly surprising since Gonzalez has explored that feel before, the drummer hails from there and Ward is in the midst of a lengthy tenure as Abdullah Ibrahim's chief horn soloist. It's a 180 degree emotion switch to celebration, with a tart Ward solo kicking things off as Rogers locks down into the buoyant anchor riff, and Green gleefully takes off from foundation. It ends with the horns going off on some playful round action that reminds you of the distance from South African jazz marabi to mbqanga -- or from Ibrahim toMahlathini if you prefer -- ain't that far. "Peculiar Stillness at Noon" phase-shifts the emotions again with its arco bass and muted harmonies drifting into abstraction behind beacon of clarity solos by Green and Gonzalez as the rhythm section takes it outside and back to peace. But what are the two tracks featuring Canadian pianist Paul Plimley doing here? He's a great musician, but neither the collective improvisation "Angels of the Bop Apocalypse," (great title) withGonzalez going into very Miles-mode (as he often does here), or Plimley's original "Parachute One," with its studied, extended left-hand ostinato melody line, fit the program the quintet has been putting down.

They're certainly no bridge to "Hymn for Lionel Batiste-De Lawd's Train," when the quintet comes roaring back in on a pretty serious train groove with a jaunty, bopping head. It turns on to the outside tracks pretty quick, but works around to an almost koto-like pastoral resolution in Rogers' solo before Gonzalez' train whistle brings the train back roaring around the bend. Maybe Gonzalez just got greedy (or too generous) by putting the Plimley tracks on -- they're both really good but just belong in a different context. Hymn for the Perfect Heart of a Pearl is one of the best discs the Dallas trumpeter has released during a very fertile period for him. Don't let the absence of better-known musician names make you overlook it -- Green and Rogers remain unfamiliar to many, but both impress the listener as players to watch out for. AMG.

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Hadouk Trio - Baldamore 2007

France's Hadouk Trio channeled musical elements from across the globe to create a uniquely mystical and evocative sound somewhere between jazz and world pop. The Hadouk Trio was led by Paris-born multi-instrumentalist Didier Malherbe, previously known for co-founding with Soft Machine alum Daevid Allen the famed psych-prog outfit Gong.Malherbe remained with Gong for close to a decade, shepherding the band through myriad personnel and creative changes before exiting in 1978. Throughout his travels Malherbe collected exotic instruments from the far corners of the earth, and after a series of short-lived experimental rock ensembles and a 1980 solo jazz-rock LP, Bloom, in 1994 he embraced world music by forming Hadouk with multi-instrumentalist Loy Ehrlich, a specialist in the hajouj, the African three-stringed bass that, along with the Armenian double-reed instrument the doudouk, gave the project its name. Mahlerbe and Ehrlich initially recorded and toured as a duo, issuing their self-titled debut LP in 1999. With the follow-up, Shamanimal, their ranks swelled to a trio with the addition of American percussionist Steve Shehan, a veteran with stints behind Bob Dylan and Paul Simon on his résumé. Hadouk Now followed in 2002, and two years later The Hadouk Trio issued its first concert LP, Live at Fip. The 2006 release Utopies includes three songs featuring the American trumpeter Jon Hassell. AMG.

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Greg Brown - Dream Cafe 1993

Dream Cafe represents a turning point in the career of the man considered by many to be the greatest folk singer of his generation as he for the first time enlists the help of guitarist-cum-producer Bo Ramsey. Before Dream Cafe,Brown had long been known on the folk troubadour circuit, but he still had not felt comfortable in the confines of the studio, as many of his previous albums sound like watered-down attempts to capture his onstage spirit. This time around, however, backed by the guitarist Ramsey, as well as tabla, various percussion instruments, steel guitar, and the haunting vocals of Kate MacKenize, Brown produces an album as light and refreshing as a summer breeze. Although it is plagued by the inconsistency which characterizes most of his studio work, some of his most heartfelt and enduring songs can be found on this album, most notably "Laughing River," "Spring Wind," and the crowd favorite "Just By Myself," all of which are found on the superior The Live One, but receive preferential treatment here. The album covers familiar territory: In "You Drive Me Crazy" and "Just by Myself" he sings of the nuances of love and loss, the latter track devoted to the perverse pleasures of loneliness. "Laughing River" is a hymn to one of the singer's favorite pleasures --- the art of angling -- and in "Spring Wind" he delves into more philosophical territory, exploring aging and what it means to spend time wisely. In the latter track, he sings, "We are a cross between our parents/and hippies in a tent." Likewise, Dream Cafe showcases a singer true to his roots but fully matured and open to the present. AMG.

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G. Love & Special Sauce - Coast to Coast Motel 1995

Although not as commercially successful as G. Love & Special Sauce's self-titled debut, Coast to Coast Motel is a definite improvement. The band keeps its hip-hop influence (much more prevalent on the debut) in check here, concentrating more on creating a mighty instrumental groove. It's also more of a traditional rock & roll approach for the band, with the results quite often being successful. The opening "Sweet Sugar Mama" is bass-driven and funky; other highlights include the smooth "Nancy," the uplifting "Chains #3," and the startling Led Zeppelin attack (musically, anyway) of "Small Fish." "Kiss and Tell" is an obvious attempt at a hit single, while some may consider the lyrics to "Soda Pop" a bit too foolish. As mentioned earlier, however, the group achieves some great, groovy interplay that can easily suck the listener in. Jimmy Prescott's upright bass playing and Jeff Clemens' drumming are tight and locked together, as G. Love adds his scratchy blues guitar on top. These guys have found the groove. AMG.

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Zachary Richard - Le Fou 2012

Cajun rebel Zachary Richard has been offering his zesty, unique fusion of traditional cajun, zydeco, rock, and New Orleans blues since the early '70s. Though not well-known outside of Louisiana, Canada, and France, Richard, along with Michael Doucet and others, has been a key figure in the revitalization of Cajun music. He has also been a longtime social activist, using his potent song lyrics to promote Cajun pride and solidarity in the face of long-standing injustice and prejudice. This activism originally somewhat alienated Richard from conservative traditional Cajun artists and from audiences unprepared for the underlying kick of his punchy party music.

A full-blooded Cajun, Richard can trace his family tree straight back to Acadia where his ancestors lived for 200 years before the British forcibly exiled them in the mid-1700s. During the '50s and '60s, Cajun culture, due to prejudice, was on the decline. Richard's parents did little to instill cultural pride in their son and even refused to speak their native French. While earning a B.A. at Tulane University, New Orleans during the late '60s, Richard began his longtime campaign on behalf of the Cajuns. The eclecticism of his own music reflects his personal tastes. Early influences included Ray Charles, Professor Longhair, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Muddy Waters, the Byrds, and Bob Dylan.

As he continues to tour and record both Cajun rock and more traditional music, Richard's reputation continues to grow, and it is hoped that his talent and contribution to the genre will eventually be widely recognized. In early 2000, a greatest-hits album was issued by Rhino Records that may contribute to his increasing popularity, Silver Jubilee:The Best of Zachary RichardHe went to New York in the early '70s and signed with Elektra Records to produce a country rock album. Largely due to Elektra's merger with Warner at that time, the album was never released. After that he went back to Louisiana to further hone his musicianship. At that time he played piano, accordion, and guitar. With a little tutoring from Clifton Chenier, the accordion becameRichard's favorite instrument. He, his cousin Michael Doucet, and Kenneth Richard teamed up in 1974 to form the Bayou Drifter Band and play a mixture of Cajun and rock that they called "swamp rock". The new style didn't catch on in Louisiana, but it was extremely popular in Canada. With socially conscious lyrics penned and performed in French, Richard's music found particular favor in politically charged Quebec where the secession movement was gaining momentum. He remained in Canada through the early '80s and during that time earned several gold records.Richard also spent time in France learning more about folk music. He returned to Louisiana around 1981 and suddenly found that Cajun culture and music had become a national fad. He formed a new group and dove right in. In the late '80s, Richard signed to Rounder and released a pair of albums, Mardis Gras Mambo and Zack's Bon Ton(1990). After that he signed a major contract with A&M. His debut album with the label, Women in the Room, featured some of the best sessionmen in music. AMG.

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Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise - Out of The Wilderness 2009

Out of the Wilderness is Robert Bradley's fifth album, and although it's been nearly a half-dozen years since he released one, he still has a fascinatingly hard-to-pin-down style, one that mixes elements of gospel, soul, pop and garage rock into a heartfelt version of blues rock that flirts with the country side of the tracks on occasion. There might be a little Motown in there, too, and considering that Alabama native Bradley was street singing in Detroit when he was discovered, it makes a lot of sense. This new set isn't that different in sound from Bradley's previous outings, but it feels just a little bit more like a personal statement, and there are some beautiful performances here, all highlighted byBradley's unique voice, which sounds at times like everybody from Tom Waits, Tom Petty, or Randy Newman to a broken-down, hoarse but still soulful Ray Charles. Bradley's songs aren't strikingly brilliant or anything, but when he sings them, a kind of refreshing sincerity and honesty lift up from them, and what might sound simple, trite, or clichéd in the hands of another singer becomes surprisingly poignant. At his best, Bradley just sounds downright wise. There are several clear gems on this new outing, which was produced by keyboardist Bruce Robb, who also producedBradley's 2003 album Still Lovin' You, including the lead-off (and title) track, "Out of the Wilderness," a scruffy blues that might have fit neatly on Tom Waits' Mule Variations, the simple, poignant, and dignified "Good Times in My Life," "Don't Pour Water," a harsh, hard slab of garage blues, and the impressive "Alabama," a beautifully ragged waltz that sounds like a great lost Randy Newman song. Sure, some of the songs fall a little to the generic side at times, butBradley's voice usually manages to redeem whatever is there, and this is easily one of his best efforts. He might not be reaching for the moon and stars musically, but there's no denying that Bradley's in touch with his own heart on songs like "Alabama," which sounds more and more like a classic with each listen. In the end, Out of the Wildernessfeels like a personal statement, American in every true sense of the word, completely free of pretense, raggedly soulful, and as sturdy, real, and honest as the day is long. Where is anything like this on American Idol? AMG.

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Diane Cluck - Boneset 2014

Coming up as part of the feverishly creative anti-folk scene that blossomed on New York's lower east side in the early 2000s, Diane Cluck represented the more inward looking of the often bratty, overly earnest, or ironic affectations of other players in that scene. The elegantly brief eight songs that make up Boneset represent Cluck's first proper album in eight years, and seventh full-length offering overall. While rushing by at a scant running time of about 22 minutes,Boneset still manages to encapsulate an immense amount of emotional expressions and gorgeous experiments in sound. Somewhere between Joanna Newsom's poetic wordplay, Josephine Foster's recapitulation of traditional U.K. folk and even hints of courtly neo-folk outliers like Current 93, Cluck finds a sound that's somehow hopeful even in its darkest moments. Beginning with the somber cello/acoustic duet "Maybe a Bird," her crystalline voice soars over the spare instrumentation, mirroring all the explorations of Judee Sill while keeping its distance from the song's dire lyrics. Some tracks are completely a cappella or, as with "Not Afraid to Be Kind," Cluck's lone voice rings out confidently before being joined by an unexpected trumpet locking in with the tune's slightly jazzy melody and recalling Joni Mitchell's jazz/folk hybrids. The album's climax point "Sara" distills everything great about Cluck's sound into a brilliant highlight, with a playful folk melody as eerie as it is engaging flitting across a minimal but perfectly executed arrangement of acoustic guitar and cello, joined at the last moments by a ghostly glockenspiel line. The song sums upBoneset's fearlessness as well as its hopeful melancholy, never getting so heavy as to obscure the inner joys each song holds. AMG.

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Soul Coughing - Irresistible Bliss 1996

Soul Coughing's second album, Irresistible Bliss, finds the band cutting away some of their eccentricities, leaving behind the bare basics of their pseudo-bohemian fusion of jazz, hip-hop, performance art, and alternative rock. Theoretically, the album should be more accessible; in practice, it is simply less involving. Though some engagingly quirky, off-center avant-pop remains, there are no jarring juxtapositions as satisfying as those that dominated Ruby Vroom, with its melded samples of Howlin' Wolf and the Andrews Sisters. There's enough strong music onIrresistible Bliss to suggest that the album is merely a slight sophomore slump, but that still doesn't make the long stretches of tediousness on the album any more forgivable. AMG.

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Ominous Seapods - Matinee Idols Late Show 1998

Released as a promotional companion disc to the band's live album Matinee Idols, Late Show finds the band taking chances on a number of a stretched-out numbers. Beginning with an introduction that comes off like a demented parody of Bill Graham's introduction of the Grateful Dead on One From the Vault, the band launches into "Mr. Blood," the relentless hardcore tune that keys off a set of the 'pods bizarre pop culture/sci-fi melange. Through several large jams based on classic rock covers (including the Who's "Sally Simpson" and Kingfish's "Jump for Joy"), the band runs through textbook examples of tension and release improvisation. On some levels, the band is the very epitome of a generic band, playing perfectly within the boundaries of what a jam band is. At the same time, the band does this incredibly well, from Max Verna's nuanced voice and Duane Allman-influenced guitar playing to Ted Marotta's straight-ahead drumming to Tom Pirozzi's relentlessly melodic basslines. It's okay, too, because the Seapods helped define the genre. It's hard to find a jam band having more fun. AMG.

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